Nearly 3 of every 10 state homicides tied to domestic violence

Officials urge community action to stop killings

Pamela Collins (center) tearfully recounts Wednesday the death of her daughter, Rosaline C. Ross, with her family members present at a news conference held by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Credit: Michael Sears

Although deaths decreased in 2010, there was an average of one killing a week in Wisconsin related to domestic violence, accounting for 29% of all homicides in the state, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

In 2010, 58 people were killed in 39 homicide incidents - including victim and perpetrator - down from a 10-year high of 67 killings in 2009, the report says.

Seven individuals killed themselves after killing a current or former intimate partner, it adds.

Twenty-one of the deaths occurred in Milwaukee County, but such homicides occurred across the state in a total of 17 counties with victims ranging in age from younger than 1 year to 87, the report says.

"Domestic violence is the most urgent public safety concern in Milwaukee today," Milwaukee County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said at a news conference held to release the 47-page report. That's why the entire community needs to work together on the problem, he said.

Last year, police began working with advocates from Sojourner Family Peace Center and prosecutors stationed at six of the seven Milwaukee police districts to reach out to families dealing with domestic violence, so that help can be provided before a situation becomes deadly, he said.

There were 1,700 referrals in 2010, but that number is expected to quadruple this year, he said.

Terry Perry, director of the office of violence prevention at the Milwaukee Health Department, called domestic violence a public health issue that takes a toll especially on children who witness violence in the home. They're more likely to suffer emotional stress, depression and complications to existing conditions, such as asthma, she said.

Each year, 3 million children witness domestic violence, and girls who see domestic violence at home are more likely to become victims, Mayor Tom Barrett said. Boys who witness abuse are more likely to become abusers, he said.

One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, he said.

By this time last year there had been 14 domestic violence homicides in the city, he said. So far this year there have been six, "but six is still too many," he said.

"We have to do a better job of engaging men in the issue of domestic violence because this is a man's problem primarily," Barrett said. "We have to teach children that violence is never an appropriate response and that boys should never hit a girl."

To try to address the issue, he said, the city has a variety of initiatives. The Homicide Review Commission is now beginning to review domestic violence homicides to better learn what services families need before situations grow fatal.

And a summit is being planned to deal with the dynamics of teens and domestic violence, especially girls in relationships with older men, Barrett said.

While domestic violence occurs across all economic and social groups, the report says there's a "highly disproportionate number of African-American homicide victims" tied to the crisis levels of poverty and unemployment in urban African-American communities.

The report also notes that those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities who experience violence by an intimate partner often have a particularly difficult time getting help and support.

Maryann Gorski, of Milwaukee's LGBT Center, said many are reluctant to ask for help because "it's tantamount to coming out."

Many avoid calling police because they're unsure of what the reaction will be from law enforcement, she said. And many fear that if they go to family and clergy they will try to talk them out of being gay.

"Let's make it easier for them to get help," Gorski said.

Although the yearly report by the coalition sets forth the state statistics, it's also designed to remember those who lost their lives, said Graciela Laguna, of the coalition.

With her voice shaking, Patricia Burton described the pain and sorrow of losing her daughter Sarah Rosio, 24, of Wauwatosa, on Jan. 13, 2010, when she was killed by her former boyfriend, Benjamin Germano, in front of the couple's 1-year-old daughter, Clair.

She said her daughter died just 15 days after the court refused to grant another restraining order, saying the two should get along and work things out for the sake of their daughter.

"Victims of domestic violence should not be forced to be in contact with the perpetrator, simply because they have a child in common," Laguna said. "Unless this lesson is learned, a child like Clair will grow up without a mother."

Germano was sentenced last year to 25 years in prison.

The parents and brothers of Rosalind Ross, 30, who police say was killed in September 2010 by a girlfriend, stood with their arms around each other as they described how the basketball star was leaving town and the relationship for a good job in Oklahoma.

Her father, Willie Collins, described his daughter's girlfriend, Malika Willoughby, as possessive and controlling.

"She (Rosalind) was about to get away from that, and we were happy about it," he said.

Willoughby has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 18.

About Georgia Pabst

Georgia Pabst is a general assignment reporter whose areas of coverage include Milwaukee County government, the Latino community, non-profits and neighborhoods.